Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

If therefore you died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why do you practice ordinances as living in the world,??21 you shall not touch, you shall not taste, you shall not feel,??22 all which are to perish in the using??ccording to the commandments and instructions of men?

Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

a renewal in which there is no [distinction between] Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, [nor between nations whether] barbarian or Scythian, [nor in status whether] slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all [so believers are equal in Christ, without distinction].

Put on, therefore, as men chosen of God, holy and beloved, tender affections of compassion, graciousness, lowliness of mind, meekness, long-suffering,

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Married men, be affectionate to your wives, and do not treat them harshly.

Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord:

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [greatest] reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you [actually] serve.

The man who perpetrates a wrong will find the wrong repaid to him; and with God there are no merely earthly distinctions.

Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Tychicus will tell you all about my affairs. [Note: This man probably delivered this letter as well as the one to the Ephesians. See Eph. 6:21]. He is our dearly loved brother and faithful minister and fellow-slave in [the service of] the Lord.

[He is coming], together with Onesimus our faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. [Note: This could mean either "from your town" or, "a fellow-Christian"]. They will tell you about everything that is happening here.

and Jesus that is called Justus, who are of the circumcision: these only are my fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, men that have been a comfort unto me.

Epaphras, one of your own number, a slave of Christ Jesus, wishes to be remembered to you. He is always standing up for you in his prayers that you may stand fast, like men of mature convictions, whatever God's will for you may be.

The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you.

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

and for to look for his son from heaven, whom he raised from death: I mean Jesus, which delivereth us from wrath to come.

But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

As you know, we did not come with flattering words or with a scheme to make money. God is our witness!

Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

For you, brothers, began to follow the example of the churches of God in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus; and you in your turn suffered at the hands of your fellow citizens persecutions like to those which they endured from the Jews??15 The men who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out??hey are displeasing to God, and are the enemies of all mankind.

Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:

For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again [wanted to come], but Satan hindered us.

That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.

And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

that each man among you shall know how to procure a wife who shall be his own in purity and honour;

That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

So that your conduct may be seemly toward those that are without, and that you may not need help from any man.

We would like you, brothers, to understand about those who are asleep in death. You must not grieve for them, like the rest of men who have no hope.

when 'all's well' and 'all is safe' are on the lips of men, then all of a sudden Destruction is upon them, like pangs on a pregnant woman ??escape there is none.

Well then, we must not sleep like the rest of men, but be wakeful and sober;

It is at night that men sleep, and at night that drunkards get drunk.

But we urge you, brothers, to know [i.e., appreciate and respect] those who work hard among you, and who lead you and warn you in [the fellowship of] the Lord. [Note: These men were probably the elders. See Acts 20:28; Heb. 13:17].

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

so that you are the subject of our glorying in the churches of God, for the constancy of your faith, under all the persecutions and afflictions you endure from men,

These men will pay the penalty of unutterable Ruin--banished 'from the presence of the Lord and from the glorious manifestation of his might,

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

[But] for now, there is something holding him back [i.e., holding back the man of lawlessness from emerging, See verses 3-4], and you people know what it is. [It is restraining him] so that he will not be revealed until his own [due] time.

For lawlessness is already at work in secret; but only until the man who is now exercising a restraining influence is removed,

and full of wicked deception for men who are going to destruction, because they refused to love the truth and be saved.

And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:

For also when we were with you we enjoined you this, that if any man does not like to work, neither let him eat.

Now to such men we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that, working with quietness, they should eat their own bread.

And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.

As I exhorted thee to tarry at Ephesus, when I was going into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge certain men not to teach a different doctrine,

For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion,

But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

for fornicators, for abusers of themselves with men, for menstealers, for liars, for false swearers, and if there be any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine;

who before was a blasphemer and persecutor, and an insolent overbearing man: but mercy was shewn me because I did it ignorantly, in unbelief.

Faithful is the saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinful men, of whom I am foremost.

Hymenaeus and Alexander are instances--the men whom I delivered over to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

which gave himself a ransom for all men, that it should be testified at his time;

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

A minister then must be a man of irreproachable character, true to his one wife, temperate, sober-minded, well-behaved, hospitable to strangers, and with a gift for teaching;

no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money;

he should be a man who rules his own household well, and whose children are kept under control and are well-behaved.

(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

He must also be a man of good standing with outsiders, or he may get into disgrace and be entrapped by the slanderers.

Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money,

but upholding and fully understanding the mystery [that is, the true doctrine] of the [Christian] faith with a clear conscience [resulting from behavior consistent with spiritual maturity].

And they must also be well-tried men, and when found to be of unblemished character then let them serve as deacons.

Assistant-Officers should be faithful husbands, and men who rule their children and their households well.

but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;

Who keep men from being married and from taking food which God made to be taken with praise by those who have faith and true knowledge.

For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Attend to these duties, let them absorb you, so that all men may note your progress.

Look to yourself as well as to your teaching. Persevere in this, for your doing so will mean Salvation for yourself as well as for your hearers.

Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;

Show consideration for widows--I mean those who are really widowed.

But if a man makes no provision for those dependent on him, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is behaving worse than an unbeliever.

Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man,

having been the wife of one man: in repute for good actions, if she have educated children, if she have entertained strangers, if she have washed the feet of saints, if she have relieved the afflicted, and diligently followed every good work.

I will, therefore, that the younger widows marry, bear children, man age the house, and thus give no occasion to the adversaries to speak reproachfully.

As it is, some widows have already turned after Satan. ??16 Any believer, man or woman, who has widowed relatives, must give them relief; the church is not to be burdened with them; she has to relieve the widows who really need relief.

If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.

Receive not an accusation against an old man, unless before two or three witnesses.

I solemnly call upon you, in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, to carry out these instructions of mine without prejudice, and to do nothing from partiality.

Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.

Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

he is proud, knowing nothing, but is delirious about questions and strifes of words: from which cometh envy, contention, calumnies, wicked suspicions, perverse debates of men corrupted in mind,

Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

Godliness is great riches, if a man be content with that he hath.